What pad and compound for paint correction?

[Rocket Tech]

Hey guys - I've read that Audi paint tends to be pretty hard. I've got a 2015 sepang blue s5 that has a bunch of tiny swirl marks. It's actually not bad but it bothered me enough to try and do some correction. We had a pretty bad wind storm come through and I think a bunch of branches/dirt got blown across the car because there was an insane amount of really light scratches all over the car.

I have a torq 10fx and have the chemical guys v series compounds. I started with orange and v36 but it didn't seem to do much at all. Stepped it up all the way to v32 at which point I could see correction happening but there was still a fair bit of swirls. I thought maybe the v32 wasn't breaking down enough to give a mirror finish so I did a 4 step correction - orange/v32, orange/v34, white/v36, and white/v38. I'm sure the last few steps didn't do much other than pull out any hazing I created with the heavier compounds. When I got to v32/orange and was only just starting to see real improvement I decided I didn't want to go with a heavier pad and that I would just clean it all back up so I could wrap up and drive the car - I only did all this work to the hood.

For each compound I did 3-5 section passes on speed setting 6, slow arm movement.

What are most people using for corrections? I've heard microfiber black/orange pads with menzerna sf400(?) is a popular combo. Was it that I wasn't using a heavy enough pad/compound for the paint?

[aaronz]

I started with similar system to yours (exact system to be accurate) it could be the trq doesn't have the power to correct. You could switch to the Meg's MF cutting pad then go to 34 and if needed 36. I'm not a pro, only learned all this two years ago and still learning....but that is from my exp.


I upgraded to a rupes and use their yellow lads with some 04-06 and get good results. If it's rough enough I'll start with the Meg's MF with sonax cut and then the yellow pad with the 04-06


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[Rocket Tech]

Thanks for the feedback. With respect to power I placed a few black lines on the backing plate and observed that with the arm loading I was doing the pad would squish into the panel and the backing plate continued to turn. So with that I would think the da motor would be sufficient for what I'm doing, I'm feeling more this is just a bad combo of pad and compound that I was using. I'll say that I took the polishing class at the chemical guys store and did practice using the 10fx and v compounds on their practice panels. There, I was able to do serious correction using the same pad and compound combinations - it just didn't seem to do much at all on my personal car.

[Avus RS4]

I think your problem is the CG "V" system.
I've used it before and I returned them immediately for a refund.
Try the M100 I've got a bottle from Phil n one of those mystery boxes deals he was running.
I was very impressed with it. It corrects well and it finishes with a nice gloss.
For heavy defects you could use a heavy cut pad.
I would first start with the orange pad with moderate pressure and the buffer set at about a notch below max, no need to crank it up, just slow asses and the check and make adjustments as you see it...

[JVince]

I have had bad luck with the CG V series as well. Couldn't get much of a cut. Maybe I should have went down to the 32 though and tried that.

[Dad A3]

Same problem, the Brilliant Black car needed paint correction. I went to see Phil at DD and after looking at the car, he suggested Mequiars 100 and 205 with microfiber cutting and polishing pads as well as the uber green finishing pad.
My first attempt with the 100, I used way to much product and wasn't impressed. I redid the application with less product and allowed the 100 to do it's job. I used the Griot's 6" Random orbital. the results were incredible. I followed up with the 205 and microfiber polishing pad and did a final with the 205 and green finishing pad. It is a different car.
After doing four passes with the Griot's over the course of three days, my hands and arms felt like crap, so yesterday I picked up the Rupes LHR21
https://www.detailersdomain.com/coll...en-box-special

Hope this helps.

[pdqgp]

Hey guys - I've read that Audi paint tends to be pretty hard. I've got a 2015 sepang blue s5 that has a bunch of tiny swirl marks. It's actually not bad but it bothered me enough to try and do some correction. We had a pretty bad wind storm come through and I think a bunch of branches/dirt got blown across the car because there was an insane amount of really light scratches all over the car.

I have Brilliant Black but without seeing pics of yours I'll assume it's moderately hacked up. Overall, Audi paint is moderately tough but not hard like an F150 or a Vette. That said, it's clear coat responds better to a quality MicroFiber cutting pad vs a foam pad. Either will work but you just need to lean into it a bit more with foam. Orange is light to moderate and that's all you'll need. Unless you're compounding out real crap issues you won't need yellow. Once you have it fairly well corrected foam will work fine though.

I have a torq 10fx and have the chemical guys v series compounds. I started with orange and v36 but it didn't seem to do much at all. Stepped it up all the way to v32 at which point I could see correction happening but there was still a fair bit of swirls. I thought maybe the v32 wasn't breaking down enough to give a mirror finish so I did a 4 step correction - orange/v32, orange/v34, white/v36, and white/v38. I'm sure the last few steps didn't do much other than pull out any hazing I created with the heavier compounds.

CG makes some good products but the V-Series IMO is a bit over rated. Honestly, Meguiar's OTC Ultimate Series is a lot better and easier to use. You might not even need Ultimate Compound but if you do, hit it with an orange pad and then follow it with Ultimate Polish with a white pad. You'll need 5-6 orange and 4-5 white for your car.

Here's what can be done with U.C. and an Orange Pad: Before and After shown: This is on our 10yr old minivan with over 100k abusive miles on it. Still looks like new.





Again, you might not even need to hit it with compound if it doesn't look as bad as the above. Another great option is HDAdapt and HDSpeed. Adapt is a compound that finishes smooth, even with an orange pad and HDSpeed is a polish that finishes and seals up the paint. Best used with a green pad. I hit the above vehicle with HDSpeed and a green pad after I did the above and the results were fantastic.

Here are those results: Hood shot reflecting my garage and door. One inside the other outside.

I've heard microfiber black/orange pads with menzerna sf400(?) is a popular combo. Was it that I wasn't using a heavy enough pad/compound for the paint?

Again, yes on Microfiber for Audi paint. Keep it simple and buy (3) two packs and change them out often. I would really only use MF though if you need to compound the car. Pics will give me an idea if you need to. Menzerma is good stuff too. They developed the SF line up years back for MBZ, BMW and Audi paints. I like to finish with SF4500 which is one step finer than Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. It's a better nano-cut technology that really brings out the Audi Paint to a brilliant shine. Seal it up with Menzerma Powerlock and you're golden. If you're really a nut like me put two coats of ChemGuys Blacklight on it first though. The depth will be outstanding. See my S4 here: I sealed it up with Collinite #845 after this as we were going into winter.




Hope all the above helps. Post pics if you've got them. Once polished up, again, hit it with some Blacklight and seal her up for a deep smooth flaw free finish. You'll love it and the upkeep is minimal. All in proper washing and drying technique. More so drying really.

Decklid and hood then hood close up: Brilliant Black

[Rocket Tech]

Thanks for the info everyone!

I've played around a bit with blacklight and like how it works. I confirmed it's not abrasive enough to strip the ceramic pro that's on my car. Between blacklight and glossworkz it seemed blacklight did a better job of reducing swirls and bringing the shine back to my paint. I also noticed that it leaves a tint to the paint, darkening my sepang somewhat. Not sure if I like that it's darker but I'm going to hold off on using blacklight for a while and only use glossworkz if I want a swirl reducer.

Turns out my ceramic pro coating appears to have been defective and my detailer is stripping the car and applying a new sealant. In the process the car will get a full correction so all swirls will be removed at that time.

I plan to just wash the car and touch less dry until the new sealant is no longer working well or I get bored and decide I want to take another run at polishing. Having a protected car seems easier but it's also a bit boring not being able to play around with products. I'll just stick to non abrasive gloss and protective LSPs until the paint gets beat up before going down this path again.

[bent]

Anyone try Megs D300 Compound vs Megs M100? I hear it cuts a little bit less but still does a great job, doesn't dust nearly as much and finishes slightly better.
I am a little nervous working with MF pads vs foam as I dont want to damage paint.

I just purchased a 2016 S3 in sepang Blue. When I picked up the car from the dealer there were some pit marks in the bumper and a small scratch on the bottom passenger door. The dealer is having body shop repaint the entire bump and both passengers front and rear doors. I also got them to paint the valance panel under the bumper black to match the black optics package. Sucks that I had to have them do that but at least they are doing it the right way and not taking short cuts.

How long will I have to wait before I can detail the car after the repaint? I also assume now the clear might differ than factory clear so when detailing it might behave differently when compounding?

[pdqgp]

How long will I have to wait before I can detail the car after the repaint? I also assume now the clear might differ than factory clear so when detailing it might behave differently when compounding?

You shouldn't need to compound the newly painted areas. Light Polish if anything at all. Not likely you would need compound d anywhere on a vehicle that new.

Hit it with the least aggressive products that and pad needed. HDSpeed with green pads will likely fix you up perfectly.

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